Chapter 29: The Codex Unleashed
Author: MrLostLetter
Ethan's breath came in steady, controlled exhales as the world around him settled. His body was back in the safehouse, but his mind was still... elsewhere. The echo of the Core lingered, the pulse of the Codex now a constant rhythm thrumming through his veins.
"Ethan?"
Lena's voice was softer now, her fingers still gently brushing against his cheek. Her green eyes searched his, trying to read what he wasn't saying.
"I'm here."
But even as he said the words, Ethan wasn't sure how much of that was true.
Lena's brow furrowed, her expression a mixture of relief and uncertainty.
"You don't... feel the same."
Ethan's jaw clenched.
"I'm fine."
"Ethan..."
Her voice was barely above a whisper, but the concern in her tone was impossible to miss.
"I said I'm fine."
Lena didn't argue, but the doubt in her eyes said enough.
---
Dorian stood near the console, his cybernetic eye flickering as he analyzed the data feed. His expression was grim.
"What happened in there?"
Ethan's gaze shifted to Dorian, but for a moment, the words wouldn't come.
"I... stopped it."
Dorian's jaw tightened.
"Stopped what?"
Ethan swallowed hard, his mind flashing back to the figure he had faced inside the Core—the version of himself that wasn't him.
"Crowe's contingency."
Dorian's hands stilled over the console, his brow furrowing.
"Crowe had a failsafe?"
Ethan nodded slowly, his pulse still too fast, the energy of the Codex humming louder than before.
"He... left a part of himself behind. Embedded in the Core."
Lena's breath caught.
"And you..."
"I shut it down," Ethan murmured, but his voice was quieter now, the weight of what he had done sinking in.
"Or at least... I thought I did."
---
The room was silent, but the tension was palpable.
Dorian's eyes narrowed.
"What do you mean?"
Ethan's jaw clenched as he felt it—the pulse of the Codex wasn't just stronger.
It was... different.
"I'm still connected to it," Ethan murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.
Lena's hand dropped from his cheek, her expression tightening.
"Connected how?"
Ethan's eyes met hers, and for a moment, he wasn't sure he could explain.
"The Codex..." His throat felt dry. "It's not just inside me anymore."
Dorian's gaze hardened.
"It's evolving."
Ethan's jaw clenched as he felt it—an unfamiliar surge of energy rippling through his veins.
"It's not just merging with me." His voice was quieter now, almost... distant.
"It's rewriting me."
---
Lena's eyes widened.
"Ethan..."
"I can feel it," Ethan murmured, his gaze distant now, as if he was seeing something beyond the walls of the safehouse.
"It's... adapting."
Dorian's hands tightened around the console.
"Adapting how?"
Ethan's pulse quickened, the Codex's energy humming louder, almost as if it were alive.
"Crowe's contingency wasn't just about controlling the Core." His voice was steady, but there was something darker beneath the surface.
"It was about controlling me."
Lena's breath caught.
"Ethan..."
But he wasn't listening anymore.
---
The Codex surged inside him, data flooding his mind faster than he could process. His thoughts felt sharper, clearer, but at the same time...
"You're not fighting it anymore."
Crowe's voice was a whisper, but Ethan didn't push it away this time.
"You're embracing it."
Ethan's jaw clenched, his breathing steady as he fought to maintain control.
"No."
"Aren't you?"
Ethan's vision blurred for a moment, the pulse of the Codex echoing louder.
Lena's voice pulled him back.
"Ethan."
Ethan blinked, his vision clearing just enough to see her worried expression.
"You're scaring me."
Ethan's heart pounded harder.
"I'm still me," he whispered, but the doubt in his own voice echoed louder than he expected.
---
Dorian's holo-pad beeped, the data stream shifting faster than before.
"Ethan..." Dorian's voice was tense now, his eyes scanning the interface.
"The Core's... reacting."
Ethan's pulse quickened.
"Reacting how?"
Dorian's brow furrowed, his expression darkening.
"It's not shutting down."
Lena's eyes flickered with concern.
"I thought you stopped it."
Ethan's jaw clenched, his fists tightening at his sides.
"I did."
But the Codex's pulse was louder now, stronger.
"Then why is the Core still—"
A sudden jolt shook the safehouse, the lights flickering as the systems surged with energy.
Dorian's eyes narrowed, his implants processing the influx of data.
"Ethan..." His voice was barely above a whisper now.
"The Core's... still connected to you."
Ethan's blood ran cold.
---
"You didn't stop it, Ethan."
Crowe's voice was a quiet hum in the back of his mind, but it was growing louder.
"You became it."
Ethan's jaw clenched, his breathing steady but his pulse racing.
"I'm in control."
"Are you?"
Ethan's vision blurred again, the pulse of the Codex growing more insistent, stronger.
"You can stop this, Ethan."
Lena's voice was softer now, but her words echoed louder than anything Crowe had ever said.
"Fight it."
Ethan's hands trembled, his jaw tightening as he forced himself to breathe.
"I'm trying."
---
Dorian's holo-pad flashed red.
"Ethan..."
Ethan's head snapped up.
"What?"
Dorian's voice was grim.
"The Core's not shutting down." His eyes met Ethan's.
"It's accelerating."
Ethan's heart pounded louder.
"Accelerating?"
Dorian's jaw clenched.
"The Codex... it's rewriting the Core."
Lena's expression hardened.
"Ethan..."
Ethan's vision blurred, the pulse of the Codex growing louder, stronger.
"You can't stop it."
Crowe's voice was almost... satisfied now.
"You are the Core."
---
Ethan's eyes snapped shut as he fought to contain the surge of energy coursing through him, but it was getting harder.
"Ethan..."
Lena's voice was barely a whisper now.
"Come back to me."
Ethan's jaw clenched, his mind fighting against the chaos inside him.
"I'm here."
But even as he said the words...
He wasn't sure how much longer he could hold on.
---
Next Chapter: Chapter 30: Bound by the Codex